Wireless receiving system



Aww. HULL.. l WIRELESS lRECEIVING SYSTEM;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I0 1917.

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e. .f d o o A @Lm 6 Lm d ALBERT W. HULL, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK; ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WIRELESS RECEIVING -SYS'IEIVJ'..

specic'ation of Letters Patent. Patented Aug 16., 192L AJetppl'lcation led March 1t),A 1817. Serial No. 154,024.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERTVV. HULL, a citizen of the United States, residin at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wireless Receiving Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to means .for

The object of my invention is to provide an efficient system vfor producing a highidegree of amplification'of the feeble currents produced by received' signalsin a wireless antenna andA for detecting the signals thusreceived.

A further object of my invention is to provide a receiving circuit which will be especially adapted for the reception of continuous wave signals.

It is customary inreceiving wireless signals to impress the received oscillations upon a resonant circuit and thereby greatly increase the amplitude of the oscillations pro- .A duced by the received waves in the antenna.

Every oscillating circuit hasv a so-called damping factor which dependsv upon the resistance of the circuit and this damping as used factor limits the maximum possible amplification of the oscillations set up in the circuit. In carrying my invention into effect' I provide a device having a negative resistance characteristic and connect this tothe -oscillating circuit in such a way as to'compensate forv the positive resistance of the circuit, thereby greatly reducing the damping factor of the circuit and increasing the maximum possible amplification-of the oscillations in tlicircuit.

For receiving continuous wave signals I so adjust the circuit that the negative resistance device produces oscillations .of a frequency slightly different from the frequency of the received oscillations. These locally produced oscillations will then be controlled by the received oscillations in such a way` as to produce an audible frequency current in the receiving circuit. s

By the term negative resistance device, in the specification and claims which follow, I` mean to imply a device in which 'an increase in voltage across the ,ter-

minauls causesa decrease in the current of positive electricity flowing from the positive terminal to the negative terminal through vthe device, or a device in which the differential vcoefficient is negative where E is characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in thel appended clainis.,

The invention itself, however, togther with further objects andadvantages thereof will best be understood by reference tothe following description taken in connection with the accompanying ydrawing in which Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a circuit connection in which the negative resistance device tector is employed, and Fig. 3 shows the cur'- rentcharacteristic of a negative resistance device of the type which I prefer to employ.

serves both as amplifier and detector; Fig. 2 shows a modification in which a separate de,y

As indicated in the drawing my receiving system comprises the'usualtuned antenna 1 with an inductance 2 in series therewith. An inductance 3 is coupled to the inductance 2 in the usual manner. Inductance 3 with the variable condenser 4 forms the oscillating circuit upon which the oscillations received b the antenna are impressed. I connect in s unt to the oscillating circuit anegative resistance device 5' of the electron dis-.. charge type comprising an electron emitting cathode 6, an anode 7, and a third electrode 8 inclosed in a receptacle 9 evacuated to such a degree that the device is operable at any voltage desired independently. of gas ionization. Aconstant positive potential is impressed upon-the anode 7 byineans of the battery 10. By varying the y.potential iinpressed upon the third electrode 8 the current in the external'circuitbetween cathode and third electrode may be made to vary in the manner indicated by the curve of Fig.f3.

.. For a more complete descriptionv of the operation'of this device, reference may be had to apaperwhicli I have published at page 141 of the Physical Review of January, 1916.

It will be noted from an inspection of the curve of Fig. 3 that as the potential of the on The dynatron .ceedings of the Institute 0f Radio Engineers, l February, 1918, that the damping factor of third electrode is increased up to a value corresponding to the point B on the current curve the current in the external circuit will increase. As the potential is further increased to a value corresponding to the point D the current will 'decrease from the value B to zero. a value corresponding 4to point Eon the current curve the current will flow in a direction opposite to its original direction. F ur-V made to be practicallya straight line. Over this working range'the device has a negativeA resistance characteristic, that is, the current through the device increases as the potential applied thereto decreases.'

I have shown mathematically in a paper ,published in the prothe system is equal to where L and j C represent the inductance and capacity respectively of the circuit and R and 1- the positive numerical' values of l negative resistance. From this itwill be apparent` that if the value of the negative resistance is vso proportioned to the positive resistance of the circuit that the product of the two is equal'to the'ratio of the inductance of the capacity, the damping factor of the circuit is zero, thatis theresonant value of Acurrent or voltage in the circuit is'infinite except as it is limited by the length and straightness of the position B Eof the current c urve of the negative resistance. Since the amplitude of the resonant current in the circuit 'is limited by the length andv lstraightness of the negative resistance part it is eyident that if the device of the curve, is operated in a region very near one .end of the curve asjat H or I, Fig. 3, the current will beasymmetric and the device may be.

used as 'afdetector as well as amplifieru The 'battery 11 supplies the necessary potential for the third electrode in order that it may operate upon the desired portion, of the current curve. yFor the purpose of detecting the signals the usual telephone receiver 12 with a variable condenser 13 across its terminals is inserted in the circuit. The' distributed capacity across the turns 0f the telephone winding offers a low resistance to radio frequencies and hence the telephone does not interfere with 'the amplication. rllhe high linductance of the telephone, however, will If the potential is increased tov ceived waves are continuous ositive' and the setting up 'of' undesirable audio fre` quency oscillations. The capacity -13 and the negative resistance may be 'so adjusted as to neutralize the resistance of the telephone for a. particular audio frequency, determined by the product of the capacity 13 and the telephoneinductance, and if this frequency be made the same as the group frequency of the incoming waves the sensitiveness may be4 greatly increased. In making this and other adjustments the value of the negative resi stance may conveniently be varied by varying the temperature of the cathode 6.

The sensitiveness of ythe system is the same l J- 1S POSI- tive' or negative. yIf this term is negative, however, vthe system will generate oscillations Yof its own of a frequency slightly differentfrom the frequency of the oscillations impressed upon the circuit., If the rethe amplitude of the locally generated oscillations will be controlled; by the received waves in such a way as to produce a desired audio frequency current in the local circuit.

The system which I have described offers an important advantage over the usual re ceiving circuit in that the coupling between 2' and 3 may be made very closewithout affecting the selectivity since'the necessary condition for high selectivity, namely a' small damping factor, may still be present. This is true both for the antenna coupling and the coupling to an auxiliary 'detector circuit if one is used. The fact that sensitiveness and selectivity are independent of both resistance and c'oefiicient makes it possible to use a much more effective ratio of whether the damping term `transformation thanis practicable with the `amplifier and to neutralize the positive resistance of the receiving circuit. In this case an ordinary detector 111 of the electron discharge type is employed comprising the usual filamentary cathode 15, grid 16, and anode 17, inclosed4 in an evacuated envelop l18. The oscillating receiving circiut isconnected to the grid circuit ofthe detector 14. The increase in" voltage on the grid 16 is opposed in most devices of this type by a leakage current which increases with voltage as in a positive resistance and also by the damping in its own circuit and the coupled` `antenna circuit. The effect of this leakage and damping may be neutralized by connecting the negative resistance device 5 in shunt to the gridcircuit as indicated. In this case as in the arrangement of Fig. 1 the 'damping of the receiving' circuit may be vention ,as set -.forth in the appended claims.

l tions,

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,- 1. Means for` receiving wireless signals .comprising a circuit which is resonant to the .frequency ofthe signal waves to be received,

and adevice closely coupled to said resonant circuitso as to reduce the dampingthereof and so proportioned and adjusted as. to pro- Vduce oscillations of a frequency slightly different. from that of the received oscillasaid device having apworking range" over whichthe current flow therethrough increases and -decreases inversely as the po 'justed as to produce electrode,

tential applied thereto.

2. A wireless receiving circuit comprising inductance .and capacity so proportioned that the circuit is resonant to the frequency of the 'signal waves to= be received and ay device directly' connected in /shunt to the said capacity for. reducing the damping of thecircuit and so yproportioned and adoscillations of a frequency slightly diil'erent from that of the received oscillations, said device having a working range over which the current flow therethrough increases land decreases inversely as the potential applied thereto.-

3. Means for receiving wireless signals comprising a circuitl which isresonant to the frequency of the signal waves to be received and an electron discharge device connected to said resonant circuit, said device comprising an incandescent cathode, an anode ,and a third electrode and sources of potential of such a value connected to said electrodes that the 'current iow between cathode and third electrode varies inversely as` the potential diiference between-the same.

4. A wireless receiving circuit comprising inductance and capacityv so proportioned that the circuit is resonant to the frequency of the signal waves to be received and an electron discharge device connected in shunt to said capacity, said device comprising lan incandescent cathode, an anode'and a third and' sources of potential of such values connected to said electrodes that the current iiow between cathode and third electrode varies inversely asQ the lpotential difference between the same.

5. Ihecombination of a'wireless receiving circuit and means operatively related to 'the current flow therethrouo' said circuit for *reducing the damping thereof, said means comprising a device having a plurality of electrodes inclosed in anzevacu-V ated envelop and having a working range over which the current flow therethrough in- -creases and decreases inversely as the potential applied thereto, evacuated to such a degree said'v Ienvelop being ently of {,gasionization.

6. MeansL for receiving wireless signals that'the `device is operable over said working range independcomprising a circuit Lwhich is resonant-to the frequency' of the signal waves to be received and a negative resistance devi-ce o'peratively related to said circuit for reducing the 'damping thereof, said device having a working range over which the circuit flow therethrough varies inversely as the potential applied thereto candescent cathode, an anode and a third electrode inclosed inan envelop evacuated to such a degree that the device is operable over said working range independently of`v gas ionization.

7 Means for detecting wireless 'signals -and comprising an in'-` comprising an electron discharge device Y which is operable independently of gas ionization and which has a working range over which the current flow therethrough varies inversely Aas the potential appliedv thereto and a source of potential connected to said device of such value that the normal current therethrough has a value near oneof the limits of saidA working range. "fs

8. A wireless receiving system compris.- ing a circuit which is resonant to the frequency of the waves to 'be received, a 'negative resistance device connected t'o said circuitffor reducing the damping thereof, indicating means in series with said negative resistance and means for adjusting the circuit so that it will be resonant to afdesired audio frequency.

' 9. The combination in a wireless signaling vsystem of a receiving circuit which 4is resonant to the frequency Aof the wavesto be re ,ceived Aand a negative resistance device connected to said circuit, the value of said negative -resistance being so related to the capacity, inductance and positive resistance of the circuitthat oscillations will be produced `of a slightly' diiferent Jfrequency which will combine witlithe received oscillations to produce beats and said negative resistance device having a working range over which the current flow therethrough increases and decreases inversely as the potential applied thereto. f

10. Meansfor detecting high frequency v signals comprising an electron discharge de' vice which has a working ran e over which g varies inversely as the potential applied thereto and a source of, potential connected to said device of 'such a value that the normal current are impressed and means operatively related to said circuit for reducing the damping thereof, said means comprising a device having. a plurality of velectrodesnclosed in an evacuated envelop and having a Working' `range', over Which the current flow therethrough increases and decreases inversely as I the potential applied thereto.

l2." eans for receiving high frequeny signals comprising aicircuit upon which signaling Waves may be impressed and an electron discharge device associated with said circuit, said device comprising an electron emitting cathode, an anode and al third electrode 21nd sources of potential of s'uch a value current How between cathode and third electrode varies inversely as the potential difference between the same.

connected to said electrodes that the.

In Witnessrwhereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of March, 1917; ALBERT HULL. 

